Improving Access to Pivotal Response Treatment (PRT) Via Telehealth Parent Training

There is an urgent need for improved access to effective autism treatments. With advances in technology, distance learning models have particular promise for families who cannot access evidence-based parent training locally or may be on long wait-lists for behavioral treatments. Pivotal Response Treatment (PRT) is an established treatment for autism spectrum disorder (ASD); however, a telehealth PRT model has not yet been evaluated in a controlled trial. This study will examine the effects of training parents in PRT via secure video conferencing and investigate 1) whether parents can learn via telehealth to deliver PRT in the home setting (PRT-T) and 2) whether their children will show greater improvement in functional communication skills compared to children in a waitlist control group. Participants will include 40 children age 2 to 5 years with ASD and significant language delay. Eligible children will be randomly assigned to either PRT-T (N=20) or waiting list (N=20). Weekly 60-minute parent training sessions will be delivered for 12 weeks via secure video conferencing software by a PRT-trained study therapist. The effects of PRT-T on parent fidelity of PRT implementation, child communication deficits including frequency of functional verbal utterances, and parent-report of communication skills on standardized questionnaires will be evaluated. This research will provide a foundation for wider dissemination of technology-based solutions to improve access to ASD treatment.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Autism Spectrum Disorder
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Pivotal Response Treatment

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 101
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • California
    • Stanford, California, United States, 94305-5719
      • Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 2 years to 5 years (Child)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria: Participants will include children ages a) 2:0 to 5:11 years, b) diagnosed with ASD (based on history, review of available medical records including diagnostic testing, e.g., ADOS) or suspicion of ASD diagnosis and confirmed with Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R; completed by phone), c) with significant adaptive communication deficits (i.e., either a Vineland-3 Communication subscale 2SD below average for 2 and 3 year olds and 3 SD below for 4 and 5 year olds or a Vineland-3 Expressive V-scale Score 2 SD below average for 2 and 3 year olds, or 3 SD below for 4 and 5 year old, and at least moderate severity on the CGI-S language subscale), d) able to vocalize with communicative intent during home video observation, e) stable treatment for at least 2 weeks prior to baseline (e.g., ABA, special education) with no more than 60 minutes per week 1:1 speech therapy and no anticipated changes during study participation, and f) an English-speaking parent able to consistently participate in study procedures.

Exclusion Criteria.

a) children who have a primary language other than English, b) parent or child diagnosed with severe psychiatric disorder or unstable medical problem, c) child participating in >15 hours per week of 1:1 ABA treatment at home, d) unstable medical condition such as severe seizures, e) Severe behavioral difficulties (e.g., self-injury or aggression that could present a safety risk to the child or family members during implementation of the intervention), f) previous adequate trial of pivotal response treatment, or g) living within 200 miles of Stanford University.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: PRT Telehealth; Participating parents will receive 12 weekly 60-minute parent training sessions via secure videoconference to learn Pivotal Response Treatment	Behavioral: Pivotal Response Treatment; PRT will target functional communication abilities
No Intervention: Waitlist; Participants will continue stable community-based treatments

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in Parent Fidelity of PRT Implementation from Baseline to Week 12	Based on behavioral coding of parent-child interaction videos in the home	Baseline, Week 12

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in Child Frequency of Functional Utterances from Baseline to Week 12	Based on behavioral coding of parent-child interaction videos in the home	Baseline, Week 12

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Stanford University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): April 13, 2020
• Primary Completion (Actual): October 29, 2025
• Study Completion (Actual): October 29, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: July 30, 2019
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 31, 2019
• First Posted (Actual): August 1, 2019

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimated): November 17, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 14, 2025
• Last Verified: November 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Mental Disorders; Neurodevelopmental Disorders; Child Development Disorders, Pervasive; Autism Spectrum Disorder
• Other Study ID Numbers: 52597

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No